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61
General Discussion / Egyptian Mythology, Off Topic.
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 09:27:09 pm »
Egyptian Mythology, Off Topic.

Here we discuss, Egyptian mythology. Remember we are not all, Experts ;)

PS. Make a new topic, of the topic, you discuss.
62
General Discussion / Our Travel Goes To, Egypt
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 09:21:18 pm »
Our Travel Goes To, Egypt.

Tell us of The Historic Places, that you has been on, in Your Travels to Egypt and what you would recommend, to all of us, Storyteller ;)
It could be, The Pyramids of Giza, The Dendera Temple Complex, The Temple of Isis at Philae, Heliopolis, Abydos or Luxor.
63
General Discussion / Heka, Egyptian Magick.
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 09:08:12 pm »
Heka, Egyptian Magick.

Heka - Magic or 'Magickal/Meaningful Speech'.

Many European and Western Magick Traditions owe many of their origins from Arab Magicians, whose roots were based in the valley of the Nile, the 'Cradle of Magic' that is Egypt. According to the Kabala, of the ten shares of magic that the Earth received, nine fell in Egypt, while the rest of the world shares the tenth. Indeed Egypt (Khem in Egyptian - meaning 'The Black Land' , referring to the black, fertile soil of the Nile Valley) is often to referred to as 'The Temple of the World'.
Heka is usually translated as meaning 'magic', however it is a concept that is so much more, another translation for heka is 'Art of the Mouth', although a better meaning could be 'magical/meaningful speech'. Another word for magical powers was 'akhu', this is sometimes translated as meaning 'enchantments, sorcery or spells'. Although deities and stars could utilise the akhu power, it was particularly associated with the blessed dead.
Magic, for the ancient Egyptians, permeated everything in creation, and as such all things in creation possess heka to a certain degree. Each ancient Egyptian in his manner was a magician and took part in the power which the Netjer gave to man to act upon reality. The sculptor, carving a statue, saw neither commemoration nor aesthetics, but a means of magically extending for eternity the existence of his model. The carving or writing of hieroglyphics, was also a form of heka, in that control of the written word confers power on the thing described. 'To speak the name of the dead, is to make them live again. It restoreth the name of life to he who hath vanished'.
All the deities (Netjer) and supernatural beings of ancient Egypt had their own heka, it was an intrinsic part of their very nature, as much as their bodies and names. Just as the Netjer had heka, so the forces of chaos, such as the great serpent Apep (Apophis) who existed in the watery abyss called Nun, had their own heka. Egyptian kings automatically had heka, the dead are also credited with a certain degree of heka. Tehuty (Thoth) is said to have the most heka of all the Netjer.
Heka is personified by the male Netjer, Heka, who is often depicted in human form, sometimes with the signs that write his name on his head. In other cases he is portrayed with a snake's head. He stands at the head of Ra's barge along with Hu 'divine utterance' and Sia 'divine knowledge' when Ra makes His nightly journey. Heka is also described as the ba (soul or manifestation) of the sun god. He was the energy which made creation possible and acts of magic were a continuation of the creative process. Although no major temples were built for Heka, he had a priesthood and shrines dedicated to him in Lower Egypt.
Weret Hakau, meaning 'Great Of Magic', was originally a title applied to several goddesses, she is also a goddess in her own right, often depicted as a cobra. The Netjer Heka is also connected to several of the creation myths, in the boat of Sun God or occasionally holding the earth and sky apart in place of Shu or shown behind the throne of Osiris. These roles stress the centrality of Heka in the Egyptian cosmos as one of the forces that hold the universe together and brought life into being.
The understanding of heka allowed the Priest/Magician to 'perform magic', the more heka you had, the greater the ability to do magic. Because written words had heka, owning books or scrolls and reading them gave you more heka. Hieroglyphs were known as the 'divine words' and the creation of writing was credited to Tehuty (Thoth). There are several myths about the 42 secret books written by Thoth, which as supposed to outline laws, magic spells, astrology, cosmology, geography and medicine.
Many scrolls, papyri and books of heka were often kept in the Temple Libraries known as Per Ankh's (House of Life). These temple libraries function as schools for many of the priesthood as well as nobility. There were also "shaman" like magicians & local healers who lived in the smaller rural areas who did not train in the Per Ankhs of the Temples, but unfortunately not much is known of these people or the form in which their magic took.
Because heka connects everything from the Divine to the material, it is invariably linked to Ma'at. The word Ma'at is usually translated as meaning 'justice, truth, balance' and like heka, its concept however, involved much more.
The understanding of Ma'at is vital in performing magic and as such those who do Ma'at are able to gain heka. This does not mean however, that you can do heka, the understanding and adherence to Ma'at allowed someone to have greater heka. As such, those who have heka, have a greater responsibility to do ma'at, and only those who do ma'at, are able to utilize their heka. The priest/magician/physician was also the upholder of Ma'at. The Per Ankh was the place were Priests learned their duties, the arts of magic and healing and the concept of Ma'at. The Priests of Sekhmet, Anpu, and Khnosu were considered good physicians. Magicians claimed priesthood from various temples, such as Tehuty.
The priests of Sekhmet play a prophylactic (Acting to defend against or prevent something, especially disease; protective.) role in medicine. The priest ("waeb Sekhmet") being present as an integral part of the treatment performed by the sunu (physician).
The role between Magic, Religion and Medicine in ancient Egypt is interchangeable, Priests would use religious, magical and medical means alongside each other as complimentary elements in a given situation. It was not uncommon for a physician to treat an affliction with a magical amulet, a prayer to a Netjer and regular medicine such as a herbal poultice. Magic as subversive, unorthodox and counter culture, does not apply to Egypt where ritual magic was practiced on behalf of the state for at least 3000 years.
In marked contrast to medieval Europe, where a distinction between, good, natural and demonic magick, Egyptian magic seems to lack this separation. It invoked all kinds of supernatural beings, some of which could be classed as demonic.
Sekhmet, although associated with the near destruction of mankind, was also seen as a healer, on the assumption that the Goddess could ward of pestilence aswell as cause it. She was given the title of 'Lady of Life', and was seen as a beneficial force to counteract illness.
Set, in early times, was worshipped as the god of wind and the desert storms, and prayed to that he would grant the strength of the storms to his followers. He was a god of expanding borders and radical changes of being - particularly birth, circumcision/initiation, death in battle, and rebirth through the Opening of the Mouth ceremony.
Although he was always a dark and moody god, he was believed to be the ally of his brother and sister, Osiris and Isis, the counterpart to his sister-wife Nephthys, and the defender of their father, Ra.
Set, was later to become a god of evil, in eternal conflict with the gods of light, and especially with Horus, the son of Osiris. Set became identified with his former enemy, the serpent Apep. By the XXVI Dynasty, Set was the major antagonist and embodiment of evil to the Egyptians. Why this change came about is unknown, but it is thought that some time after the unification of Egypt, the religion of Set fell into disfavor.
In Egyptian theology, very few of the supernatural beings were regarded as truly evil, so invoking them involved no spiritual danger, neither was there any stigma in worshipping these deities. Both 'natural' and 'demonic' magic could be used in a defensive or aggressive manner, according to the will of the magician. When studying Egyptian Magic, it is unwise to think of it as the bargain basement of religion or as a form of senile imbecility.
There are several types of magic in the Ancient Egypt culture.

Source: www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk
64
General Discussion / Traditional Witchcraft
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 08:58:54 pm »
Traditional Witchcraft.

Witchcraft (also called witchery or spellcraft) broadly means the practice of, and belief in, magical skills and abilities that are able to be exercised individually, by designated social groups, or by persons with the necessary esoteric secret knowledge. Witchcraft is a complex concept that varies culturally and societally, therefore it is difficult to define with precision[1] and cross-cultural assumptions about the meaning or significance of the term should be applied with caution. Witchcraft often occupies a religious, divinatory, or medicinal role,[2] and is often present within societies and groups whose cultural framework includes a magical world view.[1] Although witchcraft can often share common ground with related concepts such as sorcery, the paranormal, magic, superstition, necromancy, possession, shamanism, healing, spiritualism, nature worship, and the occult, it is usually seen as distinct from these when examined by sociologists and anthropologists.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
65
General Discussion / Movie Magic, Harry Potter.
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 08:45:15 pm »
Movie Magic, Harry Potter.

Here we discuss, The Universe of J. K. Rowling´s, Harry Potter, Books and Movies.

Yours sincerely
 
Sir.Golden Falcon☥

Member of The 7´th, Circle of Merlin  ;)

PS. Make a new topic, of the topic, you discuss.

(Don`t take this topic, to serious, its for entertainment purpose, only)
66
General Discussion / Vampiric Magick.
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 08:40:23 pm »
Vampiric Magick.

Three sections on magickal practices related to vampirism, including a discussion on the techniques of psychic vampirism, a ritual to attract and/or thank vampiric entities, and a report on the creation of a vampiric servitor (not fully tested at this point).

The Practice of Psycho-Magickal Vampirism

What is psychic vampirism?

Basically, draining (and in the method I am detailing, absorbing) energy from other people, often against their will or at least without their knowledge

And what does it do for you?

It increases magickal power and sensitivity, and makes one feel more energetic, adds to vitality.

Many people do it unconsciously. For example, have you ever met someone who it tired and drained you just to be in the same room with? That is a perfect example of unconscious psychic vampirism. People who do it unconsciously don’t usually store the energy in themselves, but rather disperse it uselessly into their surroundings.

So how does one perform psychic vampirism?

Psychic vampirism is largely performed through visualisation and lots and lots of practice.

One way to do it is to target a person and just visualise energy inside and around them. Some people can see it normally so they don't have to visualise - people who can see and manipulate auras will have a definite advantage here.

You then try to pull the energy out of the person. Feel it gathering inside you, and see it leaving them. Feel the build up of energy revitalizing you, making you tingle with what feels like static electricity, and draw it all into yourself, feeling it invigorating you. That's more or less it. It's easier if you touch a person or drink their blood, or whatever. It takes some people a lot of practice, while others master it instantly.

Potential difficulties

It’s worth noting that you have to be careful not to absorb all the negative psychic crap people tend to give off. I’ve made the mistake a couple of times of just opening myself to ALL the energy in an area, and have briefly broken down as a result. Take care if you plan on practicing psychic vampirism, especially in an area with lots of people (e.g. tube trains). You will gradually get to know what is the ‘right’ sort of energy to absorb, and eventually do it automatically.

Does it become addictive?

It can do... blood addiction is more usual, although that can be replaced by psychic vampirism under certain circumstances. Psychic vampirism can be addictive, but as there is a ready supply of energy this is not a problem.

Another way to get round that is to have a relationship with someone else who practices psychic or blood vampirism, and the exchange between the people involved seems to replace the craving almost entirely.

It should be noted that in relationships of this sort, leaving your supporting vampire even for a few days can be painful and draining for everyone involved, as this practice creates an intense magickal link. For the same reason be very careful who you form this bond with.

Example Exercise In Psychic Vampirism & A Variety Of Brief Details From Personal Accounts

Performing the following is easier if you are actually biting or drinking* the blood of your victim or donor although it is possible when not in contact with that individual. This has also been successfully performed by one person injecting the blood of another (the blood was visualised as containing glowing red energy).

Concentrate on absorbing energy from your victim. Visualise this energy pouring into you from the person as an electric stream.

There is a special rush if energy is taken by force or when the victim is in a strong emotional state.

From all reports and my own experiences of drinking blood, two people who are close will both gain from exchanging blood or energy. I find that if such an exchange of energy is going on between two people it is preferable that they are both in a sexual frenzy.

In the case of two people exchanging energy, the two people will both gain from exchanging this energy. It seems that exchanging energy generally results in both parties feeling stronger, magickally, physically, and emotionally.

However the feeding is performed, you should feel greatly invigorated physically and psychologically. Feeding can cause an almost amphetamine like rush.

A Brief Ritual To Attract and/or Thank Vampiric Entities

Get a black candle. It MUST be new.

Set it up somewhere out of a draft where it's not going to fall over. It must NOT go out.

Light the candle in the name of the entity. Say something like "I light this candle in the name of <entity>" in any language you want as long as you get the meaning across. Think about what you are saying when you say it.

When the candle is lit, drip some of your own blood onto it. I usually use something like a 1 mil needle and then just drip as much as possible on to the candle.. As you do so, say something like "Hail <entity>" or "Io <entity>."

Let the candle burn down completely. IT MUST NOT GO OUT.

What this ritual does is basically to attempt to attract the attention of the entity and then offer it some blood. You may feel its presence. You may get an immediate obvious response (voices in your head or emotional urges, for example). You may not get a direct response. This doesn't mean it hasn't worked.

My other main use for this ritual is as a ‘thank you’ to a vampiric entity which has been involved in one of your rituals or has aided you in some way. Those who practice Ritual Vampirism involving regular use of certain vampiric entities are also recommended to perform this ritual every so often.

N.B. Many, or indeed most, ‘demonic’ entities are vampiric to a certain extent, so this ritual would probably work for most beings of that sort, but you must be certain, in any case, that the entity will not turn on you, as the blood offering will make it extremely difficult to get rid of should this prove necessary.

 

An Experimental Creation Of A Vampiric Servitor

Possibilities:

A vampiric servitor could take several forms, but I have currently chosen to follow up on the idea of a thought-form which drains energy from a set victim over a set period of time. This energy would them hopefully be passed on to the creator of the thought form at the end of this set period.

A Servitor To Drain Energy From The Victim

This version of the thought form would be more simple, but less useful. It would have an operational time of about a week to a month.

A Servitor To Drain Energy From The Victim And Pass It To The Magician

The more difficult option, and the better. Would have a similar operational period.

Independent Vampire Egregore

Would not pass energy to the magician, would probably not be very targetable, would exist for an indefinite period of time as an independent entity, probably in casters immediate area, and very likely feeding from caster. Could possibly be kept, ritually fed on a regular basis and could be requested to feed from a specific individual. Needless to say, this is a dangerous and unreliable method. This form of egregore is most frequently created by accident.

Testing Problems:

It would be preferable to observe the test subject over period of time, unfortunately this has proved impossible, and the servitor will be tested via a cyber magick working. Results will hopefully be acquired shortly, but up to that point this remains an untested working. Result may be difficult to ascertain, as the victim can not be observed. Initial results will be from my perspective, although I may hear something about any effects on the victim shortly afterwards. I’d appreciate it if anyone else who tries this could let me know of any results they had and improvements they could suggest.

Potential Problems:

If the servitor is resisted by a magickal barrier it could start feeding from random targets, including possibly it’s creator.

If the energy is not taken from the servitor and it is not destroyed, then it could potentially cause a problem for it’s creator.

Casting Conditions & Possibilities:

Object link will be a necessity

Strong hate or hunger emotion (pref. both) will be necessary

It would be necessary to program into the servitor that it should return empty-handed to the caster and/or dissipate if successfully deflected.

At the end of the set period another ritual could (should?) be performed to take the energy from the servitor and to destroy it.

For a more long-term approach, the servitor could be set to a lunar or seasonal cycle.

 

Putting The Theory Into Practice

Task of servitor:

To gather energy from <subject’s name**> over a period of one week, then to return to give me the gathered energy. If resisted by a magickal barrier, return immediately.

Creation Of The Servitor:

A sigil representing the aim was created, and an image and name for the servitor were derived from it. The servitor I created was a vampiric dragon who went by the name of Sith, while an earlier servitor, which was also successful, was a vampire goldfish with damn big teeth. (Goes to show, you never can tell...)

Charging & Releasing The Servitor:

The servitor had to be charged with hate for the victim and hunger.

The options for this include staying up over a long period and fasting, which is a method suited to this working as it results in physical hunger, and many people, including myself, are prone to angry fits under such conditions, making the hate aspect easier.

Another option is to use fly agaric to achieve an altered state of consciousness, and then inducing the required vicious emotional state which under the influences of the psychedelic.

A combination of the two is also a worthwhile approach.

A state of emotionally charged gnosis is built up by whatever means are favored, and the obsession

is focused on the servitor. An image of the servitor was previous affixed to a bottle. I drew a quantity of my blood and recited the following as I put the blood into the bottom of the bottle.

"Sith.

I offer you a this energy as payment

For feeding upon those I hold enmity towards

And for sharing that which you take from them with me"

Object link items for the victim (including a copy of his name written by him) were burned and the ashes were poured into the jar, as I recited the following:

"Sith, feed upon this victim,

this object of my hate.

Feed upon this hateful soul

Drain him and weaken him for 7 days and nights

Then return to me, and share with me the power you have taken

Sith! Vampire! Dragon!

Go forth and feast!"

Draining And Banishing The Servitor:

Upon the return of the servitor (at precisely a week from the time it left, should everything go correctly) it should be ritually drained, dissipated, and re-absorbed into the caster, or alternatively to be drained and kept for later use.

If used at other points, the servitor should be called upon and targeted by offering it some energy and the ashes of an object link in a similar way as above.

 Other Vampiric Servitors, A Magician’s Documentation - Arawyn conThanatos

Ok, I created a servitor and a sigil to program it. The sigil contained the specified statement of intent with the task. Then I consecrated the servitor.

I did it with the method I put on my homepage under sigil magick (now that I've some experience with that second method I discovered that it's just the creation of servitors without material basis).

Along with creating the servitor in the image of the sigil I also specified it further, for example, when it is vampirise energy from the victim, how much and where to store it. The servitor itself is now housed in a wooden disk which is linked to the crystal, where it stores the energy. I also linked the demise of the target with the that of the servitor. Since this will still take some time (I tried to arrange it for some point at the end of the year) I can't tell you yet how successful it is as yet.

Suffice to say that the crystal contains more energy every week (unless I use it for something else). A week ago, the doctor diagnosed some sort of wasting disease and no medications he’s tried so far seem to work. The crystal is shaped like a primitive chalice (natural formed that way). I don’t know exactly what sort of it is, but it's red (inside) and black (outside) which served my needs quite well.

NOTES:

*Injecting, and even drinking blood are activities which hold a high risk of transferring diseases, including HIV. Injecting large quantities of an incompatible bloody type can also be extremely dangerous. Also, in certain countries (including the UK) these activities are illegal. This article is not intended to encourage any illegal or dangerous activities.

Source: www.czarymary.pl
67
General Discussion / Magickal Protection
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 08:35:45 pm »
Basic Magickal Protection.

Magic works.   This is the first thing you have to learn.  If you don't believe that magic gives you the power to reshape the universe, you're wasting your time.  Because if you believe a spell or ritual won't work, it won't.  Period.  And if you do believe in the power of magic, then you need to realize that when you use it you are putting your hands on the same forces that move the tides and spawn tornadoes.  And that by doing so, you have the potential to harm yourself or others.  I have often compared working magic to rock climbing.  It takes years of study and practice before you're ready to try it.  It is fairly safe, if you know what you're doing and take appropriate safety precautions.  At the same time, a mistake can ruin your whole day or worse.

In this article, I will outline a few basic techniques for protecting yourself and your home.  While these are essential while working magic, they are also useful anytime.  For example, there's no better night's sleep than in a room that's been magically shielded to keep out psychic noise.

Let's start with Shielding.  This is a technique for creating a magical 'force field' around your person or a place, to keep out unwanted energy.  This could be psychic 'background noise', nasty astral critters, or magical energy directed at you.  Many people do this unconsciously all their lives.  Others of us have to learn how.  The method I use is to visualize a 'net' of energy around the area to be shielded.  Remember to 'see' it in 3D, a sphere rather than a circle.  (This is where those visualization exercises come into practical use.)  I generally use my personal energy to power it.  I visualize negative energy being absorbed by my shields and flowing into the earth.  ("Ground and Center" here.)  I visualize it as porous, though, so that energy I send can pass through.  With practice, you will be able to shield yourself instantly, without thinking.

I have found that exhaustion or alcohol quickly erode my ability to shield, so keep this in mind. Once you have shields, there is lots of nifty magic you can do with them.  I'll describe some of these in an article for an advanced class.

Warding is a similar technique.  I define a Ward as a Shield anchored to a physical place. Instead of using your energy, though, you let Earth energy flow upward to power it.  With practice, you can create a stable, Earth-powered shield.  This leaves more energy for spell work, or allows you to drop your own shields and recharge.  Reinforce the visualization regularly, and it can be permanent, to protect your Circle or home.  I tend to anchor wards with physical objects-a stone, carved runes, etc.  But it is the visualization that really matters.  If the mental image fails, the shield will fail, no matter how many runes you carve.

Occasionally, when going about my daily life, I will feel a 'tickle' at my aura as some kind of psychic energy contacts it.  Other times, the hair stands up on the back of my neck, and I quickly raise my shields.  And on rarer occasions, I feel a sudden energy drain as my shields (thank the Lady and Lord) go from standby to maximum power before I know what's happened. In these situations there are a few shielding tricks I use.  First is the mirror.  I visualize the outside of my shields as a perfect mirror, reflecting any energy back to it's source.  Next is making the inside of my shields a mirror.  I use this to contain any psychic energy I might be emitting, hopefully making myself psychically 'stealthy'.  Last is the 'iron wall' or 'stone tower' visualization, changing the thin energy shield into a massive fortress.  This requires a lot of power, but when huge waves of negativity are breaking over you, it really helps.

Now on to a few active techniques.  If negative energy keeps coming at me, I don't sit back and continue to shield until exhausted.  The ancient warriors knew that any purely defensive battle is doomed, if it goes on long enough.  Invoking the Lady and Lord is probably the surest and simplest defense.  Malevolent entities (wether astral or earthly) tend to avoid the presence of the Deity.  In fact, the nastier they are, the faster they run.  But like most kids, I don't like bothering Mom and Dad all the time with small problems I've been taught to handle myself.  The most basic technique is calling White Fire.  This is the Light energy of the universe, the silver-white of the Moon and the fire-white of the Sun, the sum total of the magical Elements.  Let it flow in from all around you until you feel like a ball of lightning, then send a directed bolt of it back in the direction the negative energy came from.  While the mind alone is all you need to do this, I find my sword/athame is a perfect tool for this.  (I feel the Rede does not prohibit self-defense, but that's another article, too.)  If this doesn't work, you can still call on the Lady and Lord in their warrior/protector aspects to help you.
So, good luck as you study the Craft of the Wise.  Remember, the Bad Guys are out there, and they're after us.  That's how we know we're the Good Guys.

Source: www.wicca.com/
68
General Discussion / Druidic Magic.
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 08:32:08 pm »
Druidic Magic.

Druidic Magic is the magic used by those who revere nature and is practiced by the druidic orders. It is based on their belief in "essences" and the ability of the sentient mind to merge with it and then to manipulate it. Learning and performing Druidic Magic are long processes, but the results are often quite spectacular.

Prevalence. Only druids are known to practice the merging of essences. These people can be found throughout the remote areas of Southern Sarvonia and in some parts of Northern Sarvonia. However, this researcher believes that there may be some scattered communities on other continents as well.  Return to the top

Concept/Worldview. Druidic ideology is not laid down in scrolls and tomes as scholars are used to deal with, so that these texts can be analysed and commented on. This makes it difficult to extricate a proper magical theory, as what we know about this kind of magic is based on accounts by others, who have been in contact with the oral druidic tradition of spreading their beliefs and who were willing to share this knowledge with us. So even what we try to formulate here as the druidic magical concept is a mere interpretation of Santharians wisest scholars based on what they could gather from other sources.

 A Druid's Grave
 View picture in full size Picture description. Remnants of the unique kind of magic that links an individual's spirit with the spirit inherent in nature can often be found in druidic burial grounds. Illustration drawn by Morjer.

As far as we know, druids teach that all things in this world exist on two levels; the physical level, and the spiritual level. What druids call an "essence" is the spiritual side of any given object. Essences are not visible to humans, or any other known race, but with the proper training, it is possible to interact with them. If an essence is changed somehow, its material counterpart changes to accommodate it. One could say - as the great Ximaxian Xeuatán Khaelvan III. tries to interpret druidic principles from a Ximaxian standpoint - that for the druids "an essence is the spiritual make-up of its material counterpart". Essence and material counterpart form a unity, but the key to Druidic Magic is to alter the essence towards a new unity.

Khaelvan III. notices that druids see essences as life itself, as something that cannot be undone: According to the druidic interpretation of life, essence comes into being at the same exact time that its material counterpart comes into existence. For example, a human essence comes into being as soon as a child is conceived. However, it is rare - if not impossible - for an essence to die (theories vary here on how and when), despite whether or not its physical counterpart has died. The physical counterpart must be completely and utterly destroyed for its essence to die. Example: If a tree were to die, its essence would not die, merely change from the essence of a live tree, to the essence of a dead one. However, when a fire burns out, it is supposed to have completely gone, and thus its essence must have died. It has left its mark in the form of ashes, but it is completely dead. It is also possible for an essence to be consumed by another, such as when eaten. This could be said to destroy the "eaten" essence, but the druids believe that they just become one. An often quoted example of this is when rain droplets are absorbed by plants, the water essence disappears, consumed by the plant's essence.

Each essence is as completely unique as is its counterpart, but like its counterpart, it shares similarities as well. All essences fit into one of the seven druidic base essences, or as a Ximaxian would say: sub categories, which are: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Plant, Animal, and Sentient Being. For instance, a small rock's essence is as different from a mountain's essence as their physical manifestations are, but the essences are still Earth based. Nothing in this world has an essence that fits into two categories. It always has a dominant essence type. Sometimes this is confusing, for it seems that some objects in the world could theoretically be classified as two, but this is mainly due to confusion. For example, if one were to mix sand and water, a new essence would not be created, there would merely be two essences next to each other, water and sand, and while their physical aspects may be mixed, their essences are still quite separate.

The former Earth Mage Jerick Du'malle of Ximax, after many lengthy conversations as to the nature of Druidic Magic with the earth druid, Elgaril Viikogyim, tries to elaborate further on the "essences" his new master speaks about, which are so central in Druidic Magic. In his last work for the Academy, the "Treatise on Matter and Being", the Ximaxian mage tries to point out differences between the Academy's interpretation of magic and the druidic one: "Once in a while our scholarly researches of the magical art are challenged by the simplicity one encounters at practiconers, who have never studied magic as such," he writes. "With the ease of the legendary Weavers I have seen druids that connect with nature as they sense that they are part of it. Druids look at the heart of the matter, while a Ximaxian just happily fiddles with the surface. Even a Xeuá mage, who has left the elemental mage's obstinacy of focussing purely on the components of magic behind, still connects strings in the web of the fabric of being - but his understanding does not reach far enough as to see into the being itself. Nevertheless Ximax has borrowed the term 'cár'áll' from the elves, the 'aura' or even the 'essence' as some might also say, just as if men could copy the elven way of life and intrinsic understanding of nature and its inherent magic.

The elves have an affinity to creation however, to earth, sky, mountain, river and tree, a love for matter and being itself the druids share. Not because some scholar told them to listen to the windsong and get the feel of things, but because the desire to unite with being itself emanates from within a person. Yes, the druids have 'elements' as well if you want to call them that way, categorizations that help them to find ways to make their magic work better, to improve efficiency. But unlike the Ximaxians the druids embrace the world and have their eyes wide open. They connect with the heart of nature itself, the elements being what constitutes that heart, what allows to see into it. A Ximaxian on the other hand builds bridges between elements, and he simply manages to accomplish an effect, while a druid brings change from within, as he is the change itself." And Jerick concludes: "Upon seeing a druid working his magic, one can't help but notice: Druids live their magic as part of the life they lead, as do the elves, while the Ximaxians merely study to cast." Based on this insight, Jerick Du'malle left the Academy, and became a druid himself, who was never heard of anymore in the civilized world.  Return to the top

Basic Principles. Druidic magic is based on the druids’ belief in essences. The way they explain it, they merge their own essence with the essence of what they want to change (most often things of untouched nature itself like rocks and trees), and from there merely will it into changing. This of course takes time, for they have to meditate to actually complete the merger. The older the essence one is trying to merge with, the longer it will take to merge with it. For example: a coastal redwood that has been standing for over two millennia will take longer to merge with than a seedling flower. An older essence has "gotten used" to being the way it is. It is set in its ways, and thus harder to merge with. A younger essence is less set in its ways, and thus easier to merge with. It should be noted, that a changed essence is not a new essence, merely an old one that has taken on different qualities over the years.

With training, one could learn to merge one's essence with the essence of something else. If such a merging occurs, the stronger willed of the two objects will be able to influence the essence of the other object, thus changing its characteristics. If the spiritual side is changed, its physical side will follow, and vice versa. If the physical side is changed, its essence will change to accommodate it. The exceptions to this are sentient beings. Kroneth Neeth, an investigate researcher of the Ximaxian Earth School department, concludes however that Druidic Magic has its natural limits: "Every druid that has tried to go beyond objects like stones and tree, obviously notices that merging of the essences is resisted by sentient essences. Its corporeal counterpart has a vague notion of something trying to control him, but they are not sure what is actually going on. A druid can try to work his magic on sentient beings, but the success is highly dubious." Kroneth nevertheless concedes that his researches have revealed that some druids might actually be able to challenge that seemingly impossible frontier and cross that treshold: "However, if one can get past that frontier, then an experienced druid is able to merge. Lore involving the interference and immediate action of druids for essential reasons are full of such oftentimes incredible mergers. And there are accounts that are quite serious that such mergers actually do happen." It is believed that if one's essence is not as strong willed as the essence it is merging with, then one might find his own essence being manipulated, instead of vice versa.  Return to the top

Abilities. Once the merger is actually complete, the essences of the druid and what he wants to change are one. The actual changing is quite natural. He changes something like he would move his arms, he merely wills it to change, and it changes. Of course, the more complex or intricate the change, the more a druid must concentrate on said change, or he may wind up with unexpected results. Making a seedling grow into a full grown tree is fairly simple, for it merely "speeds up" what the seedling naturally wants to do, while making it grow into a tree of an odd shape or into a different colour or texture than what is natural, that is a bit more complicated, and requires more concentration, and more practice.

There a few factors that may reduce the amount of time needed. For instance, the greater the number of druids working towards the same goal, the faster said goal will be accomplished. This is done because the experience of all the druids is put as one, and they all merge with the object at the same time, thus the time is divided between the participating druids. Thus, if an inexperienced druid is added to the task, the task will get done faster, but not nearly as fast as if an expert druid was there, for experience is another factor. A practiced druid gets his task done much faster than one who doesn't use his gifts. Therefore, it is quite possible for a young druid who uses his abilities often to be more skilled than an elder who rarely finds need to use his skills, even though the elder has been a part of the order for a longer amount of time. The last thing that effects the time is how often a druid has merged with a particular essence; the more a druid merges with the same essence, the faster it takes every time.

Druids also have the ability to physically merge with their element:

The Green Druids
In Green Druids, this produces the Kroi’lon, or "war dryad"; a gigantic half man, half tree being.

The Red Druids
In Red Druids this produces the phenomenon known as the firedance. The druid's body is completely turned to flame, but retains its humanoid shape.

The Grey Druids
Grey Druids can merge with an animal of their choosing. This often makes for interesting, often bizarre and horrific, transformations; such has a half-man/half-flunki, or a half woman/half-Cartashian Bear.

The Brown Druids
The Brown Druids can merge with the earth, making the Sfomm-Kereen, Thergerim for stone baby, who have bodies of movable rock, not unlike a golem. "Stone baby" is a misleading name although, for considering the Somm-kereen's size, very few of the people of Caelereth would consider it a "baby".

The Blue Druids
Similar to the Brown Druids, the Blue Druids can merge with ice, making their bodies a sort of movable ice, again, not unlike a sentient golem.

The druids all retain their sense of self, and their intelligence during these transformations. These transformations last for around three days, and they cannot revert back during those three days, for that would require changing one's own essence, which is not only tabooed, it is thought to be impossible. After these three days, the druid dies, for causes unknown not only to this Compendium but to druidic society as a whole. Because of this, these transformations are only used in a last desperate attempt to protect nature. Black and white druids do not use this ability, for White druids are too aloof to become martyrs, and Black druids do not love sentient beings enough to die for them. Considering how formidable these transformations are, the attempt often works.  Return to the top

Limitations, Restrictions and Practice, However, there are limits. The main thing that must be remembered is that the druid must maintain his meditation while performing what he wants to perform. If his concentration is broken, than the merger is also broken, and any control over his element is lost. To maintain this concentration, the druid can only merge with, or attempt to merge with, one essence at any one time. Beyond that, the druid's limits are few. He can change anything about the essence, as long as it remains based on the same category. For example: A Grey druid can do anything he wants to an animal, except give it sentience, because that would change it from an animal based essence, to a sentient based essence. Also, druids may not do anything to 'create' a new essence, merely change the one they have merged with. For example, a Green druid could not cause a branch to fall off a tree after merging with the tree, for that would create the new essence of a 'broken branch' as opposed to just changing the essence of the whole tree.

It should be noted here that druids have placed a ban on changing one’s own essence. They have gone so far with this ban that they even teach that it is impossible to do. Not only that, one would have to be a Black druid to do it (for changing oneself would usually mean changing a sentient being essence, unless one is less than sentient), which is also banned by druidic society. There are stories of the elven Black druid, Mehán’chón, who figured out how to change his own essence. The stories say he made himself grow wings, and jumped off a cliff to learn how try them out. Unfortunately, he made the wings too small to hold his weight, and, much to Mehán’chón’s dismay, he remade acquaintanceship with the ground much sooner than he originally intended. However, for the most part, druid believe the story of Mehán’chón to be only a fairy tale.

It should be made clear that the merging process takes far too long to have any practicality whatsoever in battle. Although, if one wanted the grand effects of a "siege" style of combat, the druids are the people capable of fulfilling that role. Druids are capable of creating smaller effects; it just takes far too long to be practical in some cases. For example, a Fire druid could burn down a tree, but it would be much faster merely to chop it down with an ax.  Return to the top

Training. Of course, one must learn how to do all this, and to get training one must first find a druid (which is a task in and of itself - as one won't find them at the nearby marketplace looking for disciples...). If the druid decides that the hopeful has the personality and drive and love that are required, then the druid trains him. This training mainly consists of how to learn to meditate effectively which takes up a huge amount of time, and learning how to merge with an essence that is so unlike that of the druids.

It usually takes roughly fifteen years for a human to learn druidic beliefs and magic, although there are rare cases of people taking a faster or, in some cases, longer amount of time to learn it. It should be noted that if the druids cannot use Druidic Magic until after they have completely internalized the belief and completed their training.

Black druids, however, must first become a druid of one of the other six orders, and then learn by themselves how to merge with a sentient essence. They are able to do this because they already know the basics of merging with essences, even though they know not how to merge with a sentient one. Thus it takes much longer to learn to become a black druid than any other druid. Black druids are far too distrustful to take on apprentices, and the other six orders hold a taboo on black druidism. Thus, there are very few black druids in the world, if any at all.  Return to the top

Origins. This Compendium holds no concrete evidence on the actual origins of the magic of druids, although there are several reports, stories, and myths concerning it, and depending on which druid you ask, you will likely get a different story, assuming that the druid would be willing to tell you his stories in the first place, which is not likely unless you have proven your worth to him. Elven druids tend to tell people that Avá, and the Aeolía placed the essences, or "énh’cár'ámn" in their tongue, in to their physical "bodies". Some druids say that the first person to access an essence was an old farm lady, who managed to merge with one of her many cats, although this story is rather unlikely. Some druids say that everything started as one essence, and thus one body, and slowly split into many, until finally all the essence that exists today exists, as do all the bodies.

Another theory is that Druidic Magic, as well as the very druidic way of life, is actually an offshoot of elven magic. Some say that Druidic Magic was wrought of humans trying to mimic the elven way of life, and thus their magic, which is heavily based on the immanent magic of nature itself, not so much their outside manipulation. The largest smilarity between the two being that both the elven and Druidic Magics go directly to the heart of the element, while the Ximaxian approach manipulates in a more indirect fashion. While similarities can be seen between the two lifestyles, there has yet to be definitive proof that Druidic Magic was born this way.

Source: www.santharia.com
69
General Discussion / Wicca Magick.
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 08:20:50 pm »
Wicca Magick.

Wicca (English pronunciation: /ˈwɪkə/) is a modern pagan, witchcraft religion. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. It draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan and 20th century hermetic motifs for its theological structure and ritual practice. The word witch derives from Middle English wicche, Old English wicce (/ˈwɪttʃe/) (feminine) "witch" and wicca (/ˈwɪttʃɑ/) (masculine) "wizard".[1]

Wicca is a diverse religion with no central authority or figure defining it. It is divided into various lineages and denominations, referred to as traditions, each with its own organisational structure and level of centralisation. Due to its decentralized nature, there is some disagreement over what actually constitutes Wicca. Some traditions, collectively referred to as British Traditional Wicca, strictly follow the initiatory lineage of Gardner and consider the term Wicca to apply only to such lineaged traditions, while other eclectic traditions do not.

Wicca is typically duotheistic, worshipping a god and goddess traditionally viewed as a mother goddess and horned god. These two deities are sometimes viewed as facets of a greater pantheistic godhead. However, beliefs range from hard polytheism to even monotheism. Wiccan celebration follows approximately eight seasonally based festivals known as Sabbats. An unattributed statement known as the Wiccan Rede is the traditional basis of Wiccan morality. Wicca often involves the ritual practice of magic, though it is not always necessary.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

70
General Discussion / Magick, Off Topic.
« Last post by Golden Falcon ☥ on April 18, 2015, 08:17:13 pm »
Magick, Off Topic.

Here we discuss, Magickal Traditions, how you practice Magick, etc. Remember we are not all, Experts ;)

PS. Make a new topic, of the topic, you discuss.
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